The Second War
by gabs-magical-abs
Summary: Peace lasted for five years. All of those sacrifices, all of that blood, sweat and tears, rendered useless in seconds. A series of drabbles set in a dystopian future. Mainly Tokka with some Kataang and Maiko.
1. Payment

**Payment**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER OR RELATED CHARACTERS.**

Blood dripped slowly from the small cut above her left brow. Her muscles ached as she wiped the ruby droplet away with the back of her hand. The wound would no doubt leave a mark, adding to a large collection of burns and scars that served as a constant reminder of the war. It wasn't over. It was never over. Sure, now they had a small respite, but in a few days there would be another battle in the endless war – the war that was supposed to end once the Fire Lord had been defeated.

Wishful thinking. The Fire Nation was more than just one man. War veterans, politicians, merchants; they all had too much invested in this war to quit when victory was so close at hand. The nation stood divided after Ozai's defeat, and not long after Zuko's coronation, revolts had begun. He survived 173 attempts on his life, finally succumbing at the age of 21.

A week later, Azula was reinstated as Fire Lord. She declared war that very day. Peace lasted for five years. All of those sacrifices, all of that blood, sweat and tears, rendered useless in seconds.

It had been two years since the second war was declared. Two years of almost never-ending fighting. Toph sighed. She had been a hero in the last war. At the age of twelve she played a primary part in the subdueing of Ozai. She had taught the Avatar how to master the earth, and thus, brought him his victory. And, hell, she had fun doing it. Although they had hardships, battles and near-death experiences, it was different. Somehow she managed to go through it almost unscarred, both emotionally and physically. Why was this war so much harder then?

Toph closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Screams echoed throughout her head. Screams of those she had slain. Screams of those that were brutally murdered in front of her. Screams of those who she had failed to save. She was in the front lines now. Capture was no longer the forethought in her enemies minds. They weren't holding back, scared of maiming a poor little blind girl. She wasn't little anymore, not in body, or mind. The war had made sure of that.

Out here it was kill or be killed, and Toph had killed. A lot. The emotional toll was never lowered. The world was harsh, and only the tough survived. Aang was too trusting. He did not expect to be stabbed in the kidneys by a young Fire Nation boy, despite being at war. Suki was too caring. Her and most of her Kyoshii Warriors sacrificed themselves to save a handful of villagers. Zuko... well... even the tough succumb. They all knew it was only a matter of time. Even Zuko acknowledged the fact that one day he would fail, and they would win. Afterall, he had to succeed everytime, and they only had to succeed once. It was a tiny scorpian that had done him in, in the end. Miniscule and undectectable.

That left three surviving members of Team Avatar. Her, Sokka and Katara, and she knew who would fall next, and it angered her. All this death, all this suffering. For what? Land? Revenge? It would consume them all, eventually. This was no longer a child's game.

She needed to feel his comforting touch again. She reached out a hand and rested it upon his bare back, caressing it. She could feel the scars and burns under touch. There were too many of them. Too many desicrating this perfect back.

Feeling her touch, he awoke and rolled over so he was facing her. A hand reached out and stroked her hair reassuringly. "Hey Toph. It'll be alright. Try to get some sleep."

"It's impossible with your snoring." She jibed, sounding more carefree than she felt.

"Love you too, Toph." He smiled, kissing her forehead.

Yep, she knew who would be next. He would die protecting her. And she would make sure Azula paid in full.

**A/N:** The basic idea for a future-set Avatar designed for an adult audience was the inspiration for this piece. I want to see that happen. Also, I wanted to write something for Tokka, despite my lack of ability in writing romance pieces. So, this is the result. Hopefully it worked.


	2. Ash

**Ash**

_This is not officially affiliated with Avatar: The Last Airbender. I am not profiting from writing this story, I am merely wrote it to share the Tokka love and get some writing practice. Enjoy._

Ash drifted gently from the grey sky, raining down upon the peaceful village below. A worried susurrus permeated through the air as the villagers opened their palms to the sky to catch the dark snow. Young mothers held their children close in a futile attempt to shelter them from the foreboding darkness. The sight was not new to them. They had seen it before, proceeding the most fearful times in their lives. It was the sign of death.

Sokka would never forget the first time he saw the darkness fall from the sky. Blurs of red and black rammed their way through the wall of white, melting it into a grey sludge. He stood in the middle of the village, transfixed as chaos reigned around him. It wasn't until it was over that he realised what had happened: the darkness had taken his Mother. He would forever live in fear that it would return and destroy everyone he loved.

That fear grew to frustration when the sky cried black and whisked his first love away. When she sacrificed herself to save her people it was him whom he blamed. Twice the darkness had come, and twice he had failed. He had not the strength to fight the impending doom, and thus fell into despair.

Later, the darkness fell again and forced him to make an impossible choice. The guilt overwhelmed him when he first lost his second love. He lived a half-life, until she saved him, like he saved her. Her strength, beauty and unerring determination forced allowed him to love once more. She was his life now, and he swore that he would perish before he let them take her from him.

Sokka was roused from his ponderings by a calloused hand gently caressing his back. He rolled over so he could look at her. Through Yue's light he could see her battle-worn face. He frowned when he noticed that the gash above her left brow was bleeding again. His heart constricted when he saw the emotional anguish cross her face.

He reached out to stroke her black dirt-ridden hair. "Hey Toph. It'll be alright. Try to get some sleep."

"It is impossible with your snoring." She teased him, clearly using humour to hide her worries. She hated to show weakness, even to him. It was a miracle she had admitted her love for him, even if it was only once when she thought she was going to die.

He knew that teasing him was her way of saying that she cared about him. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Love you too, Toph."

There was no way Azula was getting her hands on his Toph. He would sacrifice everything before he let that happen. He would not fail again.

_A/N: The first chapter of this story Payment was originally a one-shot but after watching A:TLA again I decided to expand on this. I would like to write four more, but realistically you'll be lucky if you get another update within a year._


	3. Price

**Price**

**DISCLAIMER: AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER AND RELATED CHARACTERS ARE NOT OWNED BY ME**

She found him sitting up against a wall in the kitchen with a beer in his hands and tears dry on his face. She didn't talk but sat down next to him. She grabbed him around the shoulder, and pulled him close. He rested his head on her shoulder. They sat like that in silence until Sokka dropped his beer.

The shattering woke him up from his stupor and made him realise where he was. "Go 'way, Toph." He slurred.

She didn't move.

"I said go 'way!" He pushed her away.

When she didn't move again he looked away from her, heartbroken. "You'll die if you talk to me." He whispered.

At this, Toph punched him in the arm. "Get a grip, Knucklehead. Those deaths weren't your fault."

"Yes they were." He said, tears forming in his eyes. "I wasn't strong enough to save them. First Mum, then Yue and now Suki. I can't go through that again."

"Suki made her choice." Toph said, instantly regretting it.

"How can you say that! She died so you could live!" He yelled.

"What if you HAD chosen her? Would she still be alive?" Toph yelled back.

"Yes!" He yelled.

"We'd all be dead, Numbskull! She wasn't going to leave with us and you know it! She made the choice, not you!"

"Leave. Now." Sokka hissed through his teeth turning his head away from her.

She stood up. "If you want someone to blame, try Azula." She said, walking off.

She felt him break down in tears as she left.

* * *

A frantic thud woke her from her slumber. Groaning she stood up, dragging herself away from the comforting ground and opened the door. She knew who it was before she even opened the door.

"What d'ya want, Sokka?" She mumbled.

"I couldn't sleep." He said, leaning against her doorway.

"So?" she asked, her hands finding her hips.

"So, I need to talk to you." He shrugged.

"Look, I'm happy you're talking to me again, but can't this wait 'til morning?" she yawned, emphasising her point.

"It can't! What if you're dead by then? What if you die before I can tell you that you were right?"

"Geez Sokka, get a grip. What's with you?"

"I... I'm scared Toph. I'm scared I'm going to lose you too." His voice cracked as he choked.

Toph pulled him into a hug. "Who do ya think you're talking to, Sokka? I'm the world's greatest Earthbender; nothing can stop me!"

"Except arrows." He whispered.

She stiffened at his words and the now healed wound began to throb in remembrance. She broke away from the hug. "Sokka." She said calmly. "Everyone is going to return to the Earth sometime. What matters is what you do before you go."

She felt his heart rate increase. "You wouldn't understand!" He shouted at her. "You've never lost _anyone_."

Sokka would be bruised for weeks from the punch Toph gave him. "What! Zuko was like a brother I never had! His death hurt me, but it didn't turn me into a complete jerk. It didn't stop me caring."

"You started?" He asked in disbelief.

She growled. "I have had it with you! I miss the old Sokka! The one that wasn't afraid to live!" She walked back into her room, making a point to slam the door on her way in.

* * *

" I can't believe Toph is ignoring me!" Sokka whined.

Katara sighed and continued her water bending. "I don't blame her."

"What?" Sokka exclaimed. "You're my sister, you're supposed to take my side!"

"Not if you're being a complete jerk."

"Thanks Katara. Way to make me feel better." Sokka replied, sarcasm dripping from his lips like melted seal blubber.

"Look, have you tried apologising to her?"

"Me? But I did nothing wrong! She should be the one apologising!"

"You blamed her for Suki's death, you ignored her when she tried to help you, then you burst into her room at the middle of the night, demand sympathy that you threw back in her face. Yeah, she should be the one apologising." Katara rolled her eyes.

"You are a terrible sister." Sokka said. "Besides, I didn't mean what I said to Toph. It was a joke."

"She certainly didn't think you were joking."

"So it is my fault that she lost her sense of humour?" Sokka asked in disbelief.

"I don't think you meant it as a joke. I think you were frustrated at Toph for how she was dealing with Suki's death."

"She acted like Suki wanted to die! It wasn't like that at all!" Sokka flailed his arms about.

"What was it like?" Katara prompted.

"She died because I chose Toph over her." Sokka whispered.

"Why do you blame Toph for that?"

"What? I do not!" Sokka yelled.

"You ignored her for a month after Suki's death."

"I ignored everybody."

"No you didn't. You spoke to me and Aang."

"That's different, you're family."

"And she's supposed to be your best friend."

Sokka sat quietly, feet dangling in the lake. "I know it isn't her fault." He whispered. "But I felt guilty everytime I looked at her."

Katara stopped her bending and sat down next to Sokka. "Why?"

"Because I chose her over Suki." He shrugged.

"Why?" Katara asked softly.

"I want to say it was logical, that Toph was closer, that she was easier to save. I want to say that I chose Toph because she was tougher and was more likely to survive. Truth is, it wasn't logical at all." Sokka sighed, tears swelling in his eyes. He wiped them off with the back of his hand before continuing. "I thought about life without Toph and I couldn't bear it. I was willing to sacrifice everything then and there to save her."

"You sacrificed Suki?" Katara asked.

Sokka nodded, tears streaming from down his eyes. "Suki died because I loved Toph more."

Katara brought him in to a hug.

* * *

"Toph! Come on, Toph, open up!" Sokka knocked impatiently on her door.

"Seriously, Sokka, it is getting old. And kinda creepy." She replied through the door.

"At least it isn't at night!"

"True." She replied, but the door remained shut.

"Look, Toph, I'm sorry! I treated you badly before, when I blamed you for Suki's death, and that was wrong." He yelled through the door.

He didn't get an answer.

"Will you please stop ignoring me?" He pleaded.

"How long has it been?" was her reply.

"Since what?" He asked, confused.

"Since I started ignoring you."

"Uh, about two weeks."

"Two more to go."

Sokka repeatedly struck his head against the wall. Spirits, she frustrated him sometimes. Like now, when he was trying to man up and apologise for being a complete jerk. Apologising probably wasn't enough for her. She wanted him to suffer, and she was doing a damn good job at it.

* * *

The next two weeks were hell for him, and even worse for those around him. He moped around, complaining to whoever would listen to him about Toph's unfair behaviour. It wasn't until Katara yelled at him to shut up that he finally stopped torturing them and went and did something productive. For the last week he had focused intensely on working out new battle strategies. The interesting work kept his mind occupied and stopped him pining over Toph.

Spirits knew he missed his best friend. He wanted nothing more than to laugh with her. It'd been too long since he had found something to laugh at.

He found her propped up against a tree, bending the space metal he had given her so long ago. More recently, before Suki's death, he had asked her if she found it difficult. Her response was a snort, followed by a not so modest comment about her abilities. Sokka had been around her enough to know she bent the metal to calm and entertain herself. Judging by the look on her face, it was probably the former.

"Hi." He said, taking a seat beside her.

"Hey, Snoozles. You're up early." She didn't stop her bending.

Sokka smiled, not that she could see it. 'Snoozles' was a good sign she had forgiven him. "Is my punishment over then?"

"Well, actually..." A grin slowly etched upon her face. Sokka knew that look, and it haunted his worst nightmares. It was the look of malice, and pain always followed.

Sure enough, a deft movement from Toph sent a piece of earth hurtling towards his gut. Pain erupted as it made contact, causing Sokka to double over.

"Now we're even."

"Gee, thanks..." he groaned.

After recovery the two began to make up for lost time, cracking jokes, talking and most importantly, teasing each other. Sokka even told Toph about his conversation with Katara (well, some of the conversation, anyway).

"Sweetness actually took my side over yours? Ha! Suck it, Sokka! Guess people just like me better!" Toph grinned.

"No, no, she was clearly just angry that I was interrupting her bending. You know what women can get like."

"I would have just bended you away. Painfully."

"For the sake of my spleen, I am glad that Katara stuck with emotional torment." Sokka said, touching his freshly injured gut.

They sat in silence, each deep in their own thoughts, each simply enjoying the presence of the other.

It was Toph that broke it, in a small, uncertain voice. "Sokka?"

Sokka looked at her in concern. It wasn't like her to show weakness of any sort, even to him. "Yeah, Toph?"

"Thanks." She lowered her head, hair covering her face. "You know, for saving me. I know how much it cost you." She was bending the space metal again, clearly in an attempt to calm herself down.

He looked at her then, so vulnerable, so dangerous, so sweet, so bitter, so fun, so annoying, and he knew he had made the right choice. He put his arm around her and drew her closer to him. "It was worth it."

_A/N: So, I tried something a little different for this one. It was also originally supposed to follow another piece that I wrote, but I am still yet to fix it up (the writing is really lazy). So, hopefully this makes sense as a one-shot *fingers-crossed*. I'm sure I'll get around to editing the other one at some stage. Don't hold your breath. You will pass out. For realz. And if you do, don't do it in a place where you can drown or hit your head. _


End file.
